Wednesday, May 20, 2015

The 10 best Canadian wines from Northern Lands

Some Canadian wines go well with mouth-caught salmon

The best Canadian wines can definitely compete on the world stage. That said, unless you're reading this in Calgary, you'll probably never see them.

I was one of several mid-NAFTA judges flown in April to Edmonton for an innovative, painstaking wine competition called Northern Lands. There were few enough entries -- 82 red wines, 73 whites, 27 other -- that each flight was judged by more than one panel on more than one day.

This obviously wouldn't work for a competition like the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, which gets 8000 entries, so that each judge ends up tasting less than 2% of them. Every judge left Edmonton having tasted all the top awards winners, giving us all a survey of what's going on up there in the Great White North.

My overall impressions:

* Syrah is the best red varietal being made in Canada right now. Not only did a Syrah deservedly win overall Best Red Wine; its runner-up could probably have won as well.

* White wines are not all about Riesling, even though one did win Best White Wine. I voted for a Pinot Gris first and a Chardonnay second.

* This won't be news to Canadians, but there's almost no cross-country traffic in wine. It's really hard to find an Ontario wine in British Columbia, or vice versa. (Of course, you can say the same about buying New York Riesling in California, but at least wine travels in one direction in the U.S.)

* Top Canadian wines are good values. Of the 20 wines I rated 90 points and higher, four were under $20, only three were over $33, and none cost more than $40. And that's Canadian money.

Now here are the 10 wines I liked best, arranged from cheapest to most expensive. Two of them you can actually order in the U.S. right now!

Burrowing Owl Estate Winery Estate Grown Okanagan Valley Merlot 2011 ($30)
This did not win Best Merlot, but I voted for it. Cherry fruit, silky mouthfeel, good freshness, persistent finish. Really everything you want in a Merlot. U.S. residents can buy it here!

Road 13 Vineyards Jackpot Okanagan Valley Syrah 2011 ($40)
We tasted this a few times and I wavered between loving it, merely liking it, and really loving it. The aroma is alluring: peppery, earthy, with dark plum and hints of wildflowers, probably from the 2% Viognier. It wasn't originally in the Best Red grouping but was included by popular demand and ended up taking the title.

Bob: People in the Canadian wine industry seem tired of ice wines, in several aspects: talking about them and drinking them. I can see why, as a little ice wine goes a long way.

Ice wine to me is one of the best examples of how an absolute 100-point-scale, as opposed to a relative one, fails consumers. Because they're more impressive and expensive, almost every ice wine gets a higher score than almost every rosé. But which would you rather have a fridge full of?

First, they know they age superbly, so there's no "ticking clock" economic argument to "drink 'em up!" before they go bad.

Second, by the time the final dessert course comes around when entertaining guests at home, diners either abstain from the added calories -- or choose one (food) over the other (beverage), but rarely both. So one more "special occasion" is lost to pulling corks.

And I know of no collector who brings Sauternes or Ports to restaurants with the intention of paying a corkage fee.

(Aside: bringing a dessert wine to a BYOB wine gathering of collectors almost always assures the donor that his/her bottle never gets consumed. A devious ploy to make a "grand gesture" while never having to honor it -- as invariably the bottle goes back home.)

I was just in Kelowna wine tasting at Tantalus, Quail's Gate, Mission Hill, Summer Hill, Ceder Creek and Little Straw. What stood out to me was that Riesling and white wines dominated tasting sheets despite the 40 degree Celsius summer heat staff claimed they received. I loved all the BC wine I tasted, even the Foch which I had never heard of before. Kelowna was an incredibly relaxing trip and true hidden gem.

Classic stories on sake

Legal notices

1) The material on this blog has been created by W. Blake Gray, is protected under US copyright law and cannot be used without his permission.

2) To the FTC: In the course of my work, I accept free samples, meals and other considerations. I do not trade positive reviews or coverage for money or any financial considerations, unlike certain famous print publications which have for-profit wine clubs but, because they are not classified as "bloggers," are not required by the FTC to post a notice like this.